Opatija is becoming a sustainable meeting destination

The Tourist Board of the City of Opatija has launched the project “Opatija – Green Meeting Destination”, aiming to direct Croatian tourism towards the status of a recognised sustainable business destination such as Gothenburg, Copenhagen, Zurich, Glasgow and Sydney. The project is the first step in that direction. In addition to encouraging sustainable business meetings in congress spaces in Opatija, it includes education of key stakeholders and creating and implementing recommendations with criteria for achieving sustainability in organising congress events.

Sustainability has become crucial in tourism and public space, and an increasing number of organisers are paying attention to reducing the negative impact on the environment and society. By creating an environment in which such responsible behaviour is encouraged and promoted, Opatija stands out as a destination that is developing in step with the world’s leading trends. The Opatija Tourist Board established a partnership with the Eventful agency, the only agency in Croatia that specializes in the organisation and implementation of sustainable events.

As part of the project, an educational workshop was held for representatives of hotels, agencies and congress organisers who were introduced to the benefits of implementing sustainability and the specific activities to achieve it.

“As the effects of climate change become more apparent, the business events industry must continue to work to create a positive social and environmental as well as economic impact on the destination. As a destination management organisation, the tourist board can serve as a key catalyst and driver of change. We are pleased that Opatija’s hoteliers, venues and agencies have recognised the importance of this project and the competitive advantages it brings to the entire destination. They joined in significant numbers, and it is especially important that after the first phase, they expressed satisfaction with the workshop and actively dedicated themselves to the goal of making Opatija a destination of sustainable tourism,” said the director of the Opatija Tourist Board, Suzi Petricic.

The continuation of the project envisages individual meetings with meeting venues to further analyse the readiness of premises to meet the necessary conditions and take the necessary measures to raise the level of sustainability in all facilities. The project finale will be the implementation of a pilot event – a business meeting that will be organised in accordance with all sustainability criteria.

Find out more at https://www.visitopatija.com/en.